If there’s one team which always leaves you more educated after an IPL auction, it is Rajasthan Royals. This is the franchise which has unearthed arguably the highest number of ‘unknown’ players over the course of the Indian Premier League’s 11 seasons (nine for the Royals, factoring in their two-year ban in 2016 and 2017) – think Pravin Tambe in 2012, or Kamran Khan in 2009, or even Ravindra Jadeja in the title-winning opening season in 2008.
The Rs 20.95 crore kitty they bring into the IPL 2019 Auction is down in no small part to letting go of Jaydev Unadkat, the most expensive Indian buy at last year’s auction at Rs 11.5 crore.
While they welcome Steven Smith back to their setup after his ban in 2018, the Royals will be in the market for more of their customary ‘smart’ buys on Tuesday, 18 December.
Bare Basics
- Auction Purse: Rs 20.95 crore
- Players in Squad: Total 16, Overseas 5
- Spots to Fill: Total 9, Overseas 3
Trading Window
In: None
Out: Jaydev Unadkat, Anureet Singh, Ankit Sharma, Jatin Saxena, D’Arcy Short, Ben Laughlin.
(Matches played by released players in IPL 2018: 33)
Retained: Steven Smith, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer, Ish Sodhi, Ajinkya Rahane, K Gowtham, Sanju Samson, Shreyas Gopal, Aryaman Birla, S Midhun, Prashant Chopra, Stuart Binny, Rahul Tripathi, Dhawal Kulkarni, Mahipal Lomror.
Needed at IPL 2019 Auction
- Back-ups for English/Australian players in first-choice XI (early cut-off dates)
- At least two Indian fast bowlers
- Experienced all-rounders, Indian or overseas
- Back-up domestic batsmen
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